


the book of me and you

by falloutmars



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College Library AU, F/M, Fluff, archie is annoying but maybe it pays off, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:20:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26752726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutmars/pseuds/falloutmars
Summary: Archie is, for lack of better words, a nightmare roommate.Sure, he lets Jughead use his PS4 and orders them pizza occasionally, but that’s as far as the good things Archie does list goes. By far, the worst thing about sharing a college dorm with him is his excessive need to screw any girl in sight. Which leaves Jughead rushing away from the tie on the door before he hears something he’d never recover from. At least 5 times a week.So he’s taken to hiding out in the corner of Stonewall’s slightly creepy library, next to the vending machine and in one of the comfy armchairs if no one has taken them.–or, hiding out in Stonewall's library gives Jughead an unexpected surprise.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 42
Kudos: 94
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	the book of me and you

**Author's Note:**

> hello! here is yet another short meet cute because apparently i can't write anything else. i hope you enjoy!
> 
> (title from the maine's song of the same title)

Archie is, for lack of better words, a nightmare roommate. 

Sure, he lets Jughead use his PS4 and orders them pizza occasionally, but that’s as far as the _good things Archie does_ list goes. By far, the worst thing about sharing a college dorm with him is his excessive need to screw any girl in sight. Which leaves Jughead rushing away from the tie on the door before he hears something he’d never recover from. At _least_ 5 times a week. 

So he’s taken to hiding out in the corner of Stonewall’s slightly creepy library, next to the vending machine and in one of the comfy armchairs if no one has taken them. Usually, he gets lucky so he’ll set up with his laptop and an array of snacks, knowing he’ll probably have to be out of the dorm for some time before risking reentering. 

One Friday evening, most of Stonewall College are attending some kind of event. Jughead doesn’t know what it is, remembering he zoned out at the words ‘college-wide get together’. Instead, he’d spent the majority of the evening hiding in his dorm while Archie had gone to said event, enjoying the empty space by playing, what some might call emo, music out loud, and attempting to get some writing done. 

That is until he finds himself in desperate need of Stonewall Brand chocolate chip cookies. 

He leaves his laptop on his bed, not caring that he’s wearing days-old sweatpants and a holey t-shirt, and heads to the closest vending machine. That just happens to be the one in the library he finds himself at more than he’d like to admit. 

The cookies are, thank god, in stock. Strangely, they’re the best cookies he’s ever eaten, along with the rest of the school, so often he can’t get his hands on them. Tonight, with everyone at this mysterious event, he scores two bags and practically skips back to his dorm room. 

He should’ve predicted it, really, he should’ve known better, but he didn’t. And when he gets back, there’s a tie on the door. The same purple tie he saw Archie (badly) put on before he left in search of a certain dark-haired princess.

At least he knows it is Archie in there and not some random drunk guy mistaking their door for his. 

It doesn’t matter, he supposes as he treks back to the library with nothing but 2 bags of cookies and an almost dead cell phone. 

He makes his way to his usual armchair, collapsing in it with a defeated sigh. He opens and finishes the first bag in just a few minutes, deciding to exercise at least some self-restraint and saving the second for in half an hour or so. In the meantime, he texts with JB, who is back home sulking because their dad wouldn’t let her go out. He manages to make her laugh before his battery dies just 15 minutes after he arrives. 

_It’s gonna be a long evening_ , he thinks to himself.

Twiddling his thumbs for a while, he misses his laptop. This will teach him to never go anywhere without it ever again. He could write on paper, he thinks, but that is if he can find any around here. Eyes scanning across the room, he can’t see any without moving, and if he’s honest, he wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t have any available. It’s not that he pays upwards of $20,000 a year for this or anything. 

He sighs loudly and finds himself wishing that something about this situation could change. Instead, he rips open the second bag and chews his way through them, pretending he doesn’t have a care in the world. 

Another ten minutes pass before Jughead decides to get something to pass the time. He gets up, stumbling over slightly when he clocks a strikingly beautiful blonde girl sitting in the armchair in the opposite corner to him. 

Now it’s not like him to immediately find girls, or anyone for that matter, as attractive as he finds her. He finds himself staring, wishing he could rip his eyes away but he just _can’t_. From her outfit, a baggy hoodie and sweatpants, he decides she must’ve been hiding from the event like him. The same outfit, though, confuses him beyond belief when she still looks absolutely incredible. 

_Stop it_ , he mutters under his breath, trying to drag his eyes away from her. But as he does, he notices something: the book she’s reading. It’s a Baxter Brothers novel. Or, one of his all-time favorites and his number one inspiration for his own writing. 

He has to talk to her. He _has_ to. He’s a fangirl at heart, especially when it comes to this particular book. 

Before he can think twice about it, his legs seem to be taking him across the creaky floor of the library and towards the girl in question. He sits in the not-so-comfortable chair next to her, attracting her attention. 

“H–Hi,” he says, brain finally catching up with his actions. 

She looks at him with a small smile trying to break through her blank expression. 

He points toward the book in her hands. “I saw you, uh, I saw you reading that book. And– Well, it’s one of my favorites.” 

The smile wins out this time, turning into a fully-fledged grin. “I’m really enjoying it.”

“I’m actually writing a novel inspired by it,” he finds himself telling her. “I’d usually be writing now, actually, but I left my laptop in my dorm and my roommate, well–”

She chuckles. “Let me guess. Tie on the door?”

He nods. “It’s constant, I swear.” 

She laughs again before holding up the book. “Does it end well, then?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s brilliant.”

After that, she launches into her top three theories on the mystery of the novel. He tries his best not to let his face give anything away – spoilers are always a no-go – instead nodding along contemplatively. 

Jughead manages to keep the conversation going for some time, surprising himself at his ability not to combust whenever she laughs or smiles. They chat about the novel for a while, before moving on to their respective courses and general opinions on a range of topics. As it so happens, they share a lot of common interests and opinions and by the end of the 90-minute conversation, Jughead thinks he’s half in love with a girl he doesn’t even know the name of. 

At around 11 p.m., 2 hours after Jughead was forced back to the library, the girl beside him stifles a yawn.

“Hey, it’s been lovely to talk to you,” she says, smiling sweetly. “But I better get going back to my dorm now.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.”

She clears her throat. “Can I get your name before I go?”

“Jughead.” He holds out his hand and she takes it, shaking gently. His brain, tired and _stupid_ , notes the softness of it and how well it fits in his. 

“Betty,” she replies, still holding his hand. “Do you think I can get your number, too?”

**Author's Note:**

> i need more original ideas i swear. oops, oh well. meet cutes are good, right? well, anything bughead is good, right? 
> 
> regardless, i hope you enjoyed this! if you did please leave me your kudos and comments so i can continue to thrive off of ao3 emails.
> 
> in the meantime, join me on [tumblr](https://fallout-mars.tumblr.com/).
> 
> thank you for reading!!


End file.
